The Game Bird

A sumptuous set of British classics awaits the lucky folk who walk into The Game Bird

What is comfort? Well, it must hold some sense of the familiar and the welcome, and The Game Bird at the very traditional Stafford hotel in Green Park ticks a few of those boxes.

Apart from a menu completely saturated in British classics, this joint is located right in the bosom of a very welcoming hotel and has an American bar (still not sure what that is) with sumptuous and cosy leather chairs and sofas and wall to wall memorabilia from the many thousands of famous guests (and some normal folk!) that have stayed there.

There is a huge three-century-old wine cellar downstairs with private dining, and cabinets in the dining area that show off the birds waiting to be prepared for your plate.

But that old school (and I mean Harrow), members club, prep school menu, finely tuned anf executed by James Durrant, is the attraction and only needs listing to get the mouth watering in any decent Englishman: ham hock, Devon crab, steak tartare all make appearances on the starters; roast grouse, chicken Kiev, mallard and partridge on the feathered section; venison stew and steak and ale suet pudding will knock you about further down.

A natty fish section doesn’t surprise either – fish and chips, sole meuniere – but they do notch up certainly a HotJoint first: a smoked fish trolley, that does the rounds and carries a set of smoked salmon oriented delights to tempt the pallet.

Eat, Drink, Design, Create, HotJoint is dedicated to creative thought in bars, restaurants, food and drink in the capital. London food and drink obsessive with a shared love of innovation in food and drink. We have a network of collaborators which tell vivid stories of the capital’s best eating and drinking venues and their neighbourhoods, producing news, features and interviews.